Week 130 Photo Challenge: Vintage

This week's challenge theme wasn't too bad, it wasn't the easiest we've had, but it wasn't the hardest either. 

The most fun thing about the challenge is seeing what we each come up with. That often depends on how each of us interpreted the theme. I may have missed the mark a bit, but I'm sticking with my approach.  

Kate: Vintage News

My house cleaning project this weekend was to tackle the office.  While dusting, I found these vintage copies of National Geographic. They belonged to My Guy's parents. This magazine is so noted for it's photography, it's hard to picture how it managed with just illustrations.  

I often wonder at My Guy's thought process, but he does come up with some very fun photos.  He definitely thinks out of the box. 

My Guy: Born In

If you are a big music fan you'll get the reference immediately.  If you aren't, here's a hint. 

Released 40 years ago, I guess you could consider this a vintage album cover.  It's hard to think that means I'm vintage.  Still, I think My Guy nailed the look. 

Grad Girl continues to be busy, she has some deadlines to meet.  So it's not surprising her photo comes from where she spends most of her time.

Grad Girl: Vintage Lab

If you were a fan of any of the versions of TV show CSI, this may not strike you as a lab.  But in the vast majority of colleges and universities, you will find that many grad students are still doing their research in labs with infrastructure from the 1920's. The gas lines at the back of the bench on either side of the cup sink (the two fixtures with the pointy ended screw looking appendages) have just about disappeared from the modern lab.  I'm not sure cup sinks are a thing anymore.

Vintage wasn't so bad as a challenge. The subject for this week's challenge is easy to find, but how to make a cool photo, not so straight forward. 

It should be fun to see what we each end up with. I know it won't be the same shoes.  

To Do List for the Week of 11/19/2024

Mid-November has come and gone.  Thanksgiving is next week. I'm really not ready for the holiday to ramp up and the year wind down.  But as I don't have a choice, it's time to just go with the flow.  I've been keeping my to do list's pretty simple and it's paying off with good progress.  

To Do List for 11/12/2024

1.  Squared Away: Continue sashing blocks ✔

2.  Guild BOM: Continue working on pieced borders ✔

3.  Marble Mystery: Start November clue ✔

4.  Wild and Goosey: Continue making red blocks ✔

5.  Summer Scrap Quilt: Continue as leaders and enders ✔

My goal all year has just been progress and I'm doing well on that front.  I'll need to finish up a few items to stay on track since the Thanksgiving holiday is coming up.  

To Do List for 11/19/2024

1.  Old Town (Bonnie Hunter): Start first clue

My fabric is all washed and pressed.  I'm curious what pieces we'll start off with. 

2.  Squared Away (SoScrappy): Finish borders

The blocks are all sashed and stitched together.  Just two borders left to attach and this project will be a finished quilt top.  

3.  Guild BOM: Finish pieced borders

Just six more flying geese and 4 pinwheel blocks left to finish before the pieced borders are finished.  

4.  Marble Mystery(Meadow Mist Designs): Finish November clue

The November clue has us making two types of square in a square blocks. I've gotten started on them. They go pretty quickly, so hopefully these will be done by the end of the week. 

5.  Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Continue making red blocks

The plan is to keep working on the red blocks till the end of the year. 

6.  Simply Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt (Kevin the Quilter): Continue as leaders and enders 

I'm halfway done with the next set of 10 blue 4-patches.  This has been a really good leaders and enders project.  It may be slow going, but the piles of 4-patches is slowly growing. 

The Bonnie Hunter mystery always seems to take a big part of my sewing time. I'm hoping this year I can keep up on it and not have to abandon all my other projects too. We'll see how that goes. Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday. 

The Last Project on the Quilt Plan

It's been a pretty good year in the sewing room. All the stitching time has allowed me to make some progress on every project that was on my stitching plan (and a couple that weren't).  The focus on progress has meant I've gotten 5 finishes so far this year, but I'm set up for even more next year.  

The last project on the plan is Squared Away. This project was the 2018 Rainbow Scrap Project quilt along.  I finished all the blocks in 2018, but then they sat waiting for inspiration on how to set them.  I'm not sure my setting is all that inspired, but I'm happy with how it's going together. 

Just one last sashing to stitch into the middle and then it will be ready to add the borders.  Hopefully the borders can be finished up this week and then this project can go into the "to be quilted" closet. 

Then what? This is the last project on my quilt plan. I've got one more month on the Guild BOM and the Marble Mystery continues into next year. Old Town, this year's Bonnie Hunter mystery, kicks off on Friday.  Usually the BH mystery is pretty intense, so I may not need to add any projects to my list.  We'll see. 

Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Patchwork & Quilts.  

Stitching Stuff: Week 46 of 2024

We did finally get our autumn temps, the really cold stuff arrives on Monday.  We've not had to turn the heat on so far, but that will probably change soon. My Guy took Friday off and we went on an adventure.  We didn't get home till late, but thankfully there was still enough time to get some stitching in before bedtime. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Nov = 16/16 days
• 15 minute days/2024 = 321/321 days
• Success rate = 100%

It's been such a good year on the stitching front. In fact such a good year that I will probably never top it. Looking towards goals next year, I'm considering what to do that ups my game.  I have time to consider before finalizing my goals for next year. 

Last week the very bottom of the fabric pile from the top of the shelving was pressed folded and put away. That leaves me with all the unwashed newer fabrics that have accumulated.  First I pulled all the fabrics that were spilling over the sides and laying on the floor of the fabric bin in the closet.

I sorted those into the various color lines that could be washed together.  The biggest pile of those was the medium toned bright greens, teals and blues. So I washed those and that's the starting place for the next stage of my fabric reorg.  

In general, most of these pieces are 3 and 4 yard cuts, so they aren't a quick press and fold.  I've managed to press a few pieces.  This bin full may take longer than the previous ones. But it's all progress no matter how long it takes.    

How are you doing on your stitching goals?  Just six weeks left in the year. Have you started looking at what your goals will be for next year?  

1. Gretchen 2. Julie in GA 3. Frédérique

4. maggie f 5. DonnaleeQ 6. Melisa- Pinker n' Punkin Quilting

7. Bonnie in Va 8. amanda 9. Carol @ Quilt Schmilt

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Week 129 Photo Challenge: Sweets

This week My Guy was the one that waited till the last minute to get any photos for this week's challenge. 

This week's challenge was definitely more on our level. Well, maybe not so much My Guy, as he's really not one for sweets.  Even though he bakes plenty to take to the office.  Grad Girl and I definitely had it easier this week.  I try not to keep sweets in the house because they are way too tempting. But I made an exception for the sake of the challenge.  

Kate: Holiday Favorite

My mother has a fondness for chocolate covered cherries. I think back now and wonder how all of us kids didn't end up on the naughty list. I'm not sure Mom ever got a box of these goodies to herself until we all moved out.  It must be genetic, because these chocolate goodies are one of my holiday favorites. A box of these usually finds it's way into my shopping cart just before Christmas (that and eggnog to go with them). It's a bit earlier then I normally indulge, but these seemed just the thing photograph for the challenge.  

My Guy isn't a sweets person.  He's allergic to some chocolates and just doesn't really have a sweet tooth. So it's not surprising he was a bit last minute with his photo. 

My Guy: Raw Materials

But My Guy likes to bake.  He made cookies for Halloween and wanted something to use as eyes.  Consequently we pulled all the decorative sugars out of the pantry.  Those were still out when he went looking for a photo.  Makes me want to pull out my mother's sugar cookie recipe and make some for the holidays.  I'll probably resist that temptation, because I'm pretty sure My Guy will ramp up on the holiday baking as the weather gets worse. 

Like her father, Grad Girl is a baker. Not only does she do chemical experiments in her research lab, she tries out her experimental bakes on her fellow researchers. 

Grad Girl: Persian Love Cookies

Last weekend she made these Persian Love Cookies to take in for group meeting.  Why these cookies?  She cleaned up her pantry last weekend and was looking for a recipe to use up the pistachio nuts and other ingredients before they went out of date. They were a big hit with her research group. 

I think we all enjoyed last week's challenge. It was much more up our alley in terms of subject matter.  This week's challenge is another story. 

Should be interesting to see what we each come up with. Grad Girl said she thinks we have an advantage this week. I'm not sure how to take that.